Every organization, large or small, across every sector, needs to understand and manage the threats to achieving its objectives. Over the years, ERM has continued to grow in importance. In the opinion of JCAD, risk management used to be a tick box exercise that would be completed, perhaps shared with a couple of stakeholders and not looked at again for another 6 months or so.
Now, the business pace has quickened and become more complex. The significant technology enhancements available today make the world much more accessible and this in turn makes the risks facing an organizaon vast. Events have a much more immediate effect on organizations too, partly down to the visibility and accessibility that social media and smart phones bring. Compliance and legislation have had to tighten due to these changes, for example, changes to data protection (GDPR).
Risk management is less about managing risks and more about making informed decisions with risk in mind. This approach has allowed risk management to be considered as a business wide concern rather than siloed as its own department. JCAD’s risk management solution, CORE, allows for any risk to be linked back to strategic objectives. This centralized solution allows for consistent information to be available to the whole business and for more informed decisions to be made.
A family-owned business, JCAD envisions becoming a globally recognized brand delivering cost effective business assurance, claims handling and risk management technologies. This confidence stems from over 25 years of successful software development and a client base of over 200 organizations all of whom recognize the value that JCAD brings to their business. JCAD continuously strive to provide a personal service at all customer touchpoints whether at point of sale, during implementation or subsequent support. In fact, it is JCAD’s friendly team of consultants and developers that are the firm’s greatest asset ensuring that products are innovative, easy to use and well supported; in this way clients improve efficiency, productivity and thus save money.
Delivering Intuitive, Functional and Long Lasting Products
JCAD develop two distinct business applications, CORE, which provides enterprise risk and compliance management and LACHS, which delivers claims handling functionality. Both systems have been developed with input from our client and prospect base thus ensuring that the systems are easy to use, functionally rich, cost effective and quick to implement. In Damian Crawford’s opinion the decision to focus on ‘off the shelf’ solutions is what has made JCAD so successful, that and great customer care. “We took the decision many years ago to concentrate on delivering robust solutions straight from the box. This makes implementation far quicker and training much easier as all clients utilize the same suite of tools in pretty much the same way with minimal disruption”. The company offers a standardized approach that replicates industry best practice but also enables a level of configuration of certain elements that are client specific.
Taking Family Business Further
As a family-run business, John Crawford founded the company in 1991. Having now retired, John has passed the mantle to his two sons, who now lead the company. One of his sons, Damian Crawford, serves as the Managing Director of the company. Damian’s role involves overseeing the continued development of its company, employees and customers. Alongside this role, he also heads up JCAD’s product design and development. Having been with the company since 1995, he has a full understanding of its customers claims handling and risk management requirements with his key aim to continue to listen, deliver and exceed expectations.
Paramount Lessons Learned
JCAD believes in sticking to one or two technologies and doing them well. According to the company, keeping things simple is more likely to engage users than an overly complex tool that can at best confuse and at worst alienate stakeholders. Over the years, it has also learned that client communication is the vital component to run a successful business. It understands the customers’ problems and provides simple solutions.
Client testimonials
“The Council required a better way of managing its risks, rather than the disjointed arrangements we had using Excel and Word. JCAD CORE has enabled us to report with the most current data across strategic, operational and programme/project risks. It has the flexibility in the format of reports, so we have a ‘corporate’ look but enables bespoke reporting that is designed by our own JCAD administrator.” – Pam Pursley, Risk Manager, Somerset Council.
“The team was very helpful during implementation and continues to be very responsive to questions. Even with our 6-hour time difference, they make it work. We are very pleased with the product and use it as an electronic database of our enterprise risks.” – Joda Morton, Risk Manager, University of Illinois
JCAD
